Noise-making airplane toy



1946. H. ZIMMERMAN NOISE-MAKING AIRPLANE TOY Filed Dec.

INVENTOR. 'HARRY Z/MMERMAN BY 14 MC ATTURNE) Patented July 16, 1946 E STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

Application December I 2 Claims.

My invention relates to, toys which produce a noise when whirled through the air.

Objects of my invention are to provide a toy with a movable part which is operated bythe relativegair current when the toy is whirled, 'to attach sucha part rotatably to awhirla'ble body, to operate a drum or a similar noise making instrument by such a part, and to producea' crack- I ling or rattling noise by a whirling toy. I

Other objects are to whirl a'toy of this kind by a string or similar flexible means, toaffix a string or any other holding element about over the center of gravity of the toy,-'to provide the toy with a reverberating or loud sounding element, to provide the toy with an element adapted to strike this reverberating element or to cause the same to reverberate, to make this striking element resilient, to bring the same periodically into a tensed position,-to release the striking element periodically from this position, and to obtain loud sounds by strokes of an element released from a tensed condition. I

Further objects are to provide a toy of this kind with a shape simulating an airship or airplane, to provide means directing the toy into a definite direction when the toy is whirled, to'provide the toy with wings and with tail rudders, to provide the toy with a rotary propeller, to provide the toy with a noise making device simulating the noise of an engine or of a machine gun, and to operate this device by a propeller driven by air current.

Still other objects are to obtain these results with simple, inexpensive and eflicient means, and in a, manner capturing the fancy of a child.

Still further objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an exemplifying embodiment of the invention, from the appended claims and from the accompanying drawing in which: 7

Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of an illustrative embodiment. I

Fig. 2 shows an elevation of the same embodiment seen from the upper side inFig. 1, a part of a wing being broken off for the sake of better representation of certain parts positioned below this wine.

Referring to the drawing, numeral I indicates a body which may be made of a flat sheet of any suitable material, for example of cardboard, and which is preferably out according to the outlines of an airplane, the left, front part of the body I simulating the engine casing and cockpit, and the right rear end of the body simulating a vertical rudder. A plate 2 simulating the wings of the I 2 be connected to the body I,- for example by passing the plate 2 through aslot provided in the body I. A plate. 3 simulating horizontal rudders may be connectedto the rear part of the body I in a similarmannena .A shaft t is rotatablycarried by a bearing 5 affixed to the body I. The shaft 4 has a laterally extending part or crank 6. An opening Cut-out in the body I permits the crank 6 to, rotate to: gether with the shaft 4. A second bearing 8 may be provided at; the other side of the opening I. The bearings 5 and 8 may be constructed in any suitable manner. .For example, they maybe formed by cylindrically bent parts of a thin metal plate 9 affixed to the body I in any suitablezmane ner, for example by rivets Ill. I 3 I A propeller II is concentrically affixed to the airplane may shaft 4, for example by soldering the propeller to an angularly bent end I2 of the shaft. The propeller II may be made of metal or any other suitable material, For example, the propellermay' be cut out of a sheet of metaland may be bent at the two ends in opposite directions whereby the air current hitting the propeller in the. direction of the shaft 4 will turn the propeller and the shaft. I

A reverberating plate I3 which may be the upper plateof a drum I4 is afiixedto the body I. The plate I3 or the entiredrum may be made of any suitable material, for example of card-.

. board, and the drum may have a longitudinal slot for the passage of the plate 9.

A resilient arm I5 has one end aflixed to the body I, for example, by a rivet I6. The other end of the arm I5 is positioned over the plate I3, has a part I! bent down into contact or al-. most into contact with the plate I3, and has a part I8 positioned in the' path of the crank 6. The arm I5 may be a narrow strip of thin sheet metal which is so twisted that the afiixed end is parallel to the body I and that the remaining parts of the arm are parallel to the plate I3. The arm I5 may pass through an opening provided in a ledge I9 which may be formed by an integral part of the plate 9 bent at a right angle relative to the body I.

A string 20 of which only a short part is shown is affixed to the body I, preferably at a point positioned about vertically over the center of gravity of the body. The string may be aflixed in any suitable manner. For example, the aflixed end of the string may form a loop passing through a hole provided in the body I.

The described toy operates as follows: v

A hand of the playing person holds the string horizontal or obliquely tilted as desired.

20. When the toy is suspended in this way idly,

it represents a horizontally flying airplane and may swing like a pendulum. 'I'he elongations of the Swinging body may be increased by suitable movements of the hand. By suflicient suitable movement of the hand, the toy is whirled in a circular way in a plane that may be vertical,

-'As soon as the whirling r swinging movement has sufiicient z=speed,. the air resistance or the relative air current causes the propeller to rotate whereby the crank 6 rotates and, at each turn,

hits the part [8 of the arm l5. Preferably and a shown in the drawing, the turning' direction pf the propeller II is so chosen that the crank hits the part l8 from the lower side or from the side where the drum I4 is positioned. V p 7 V The sizes and positions of the surface of the toy, particularly of the wings Z and the-rudders 3, and the distribution "of weight are so chosen that theair resistance di reets the body into a position where the propeller-deeds and "the/tail follows or where 'the air current hits themepenerm axia'tdireetioni v v p 1 a The crank -6,-- liaving -hit the 1 part l8; lifts the arm 1-5 somervhatand, then, rotating further around tlqe axis of "the: shaft 4*,1toWard the .position shown :in the drawing, moves :to the side; thereby releasing the part 1413. Upon this release,

the arm which, by the lifting :mqyemenrt, has

1 acquired -a tensed condition swings resiliently back and strikes the plate 1| 3 of the drumvM with considerable force" whereby: a loud n'oise or sound is produced. Thisstroke is repeated at each turn of the prop'e1ler1-1 or thecranl: shaft i4 and gives an impression surprisingly iresembling the noise produced by an airplane engine or by "a machine desire it understood tha t my invention is not confined to the particular embodiment 'sliown and desoribedgthe same bein g merely illustrative, and

that the invention may be carried out inlother ways Without-departing from :thesp-irit of the invention a i i t :is obvious that the particular embodimentsliown and described isonly one of-the 1 many that may be employed to attain the olije'cts omnyinvention Havin' escribed -the :nature of my invention 1 and how operates, what l claim and" desire to secure by hetters Patentiis z: r

4 1. A toy comprising a body of sheet material having an outline simulating that of the fuselage of an airplane, the body having an opening in its.

1 forward portion, a plate of sheet metal mounted against a side face of said body under the open ing and having upstanding arm extendingalong front and rear ends of the opening and provided 7 with bearings, a drum carried by said plate and projecting therefrom laterally of the body, a flange projectingfllaterallyfrom the'rrear end of said plate along the rear arm thereof, a strip :extending longitudinally of said body and through 7 an opening in said flange and having its rear tln'ough said bearings --endsecured to the body and its forward portion. V'free and bent :to form a depending portion disposed over the drum, a shaft rotatably mounted and extending along a side ofthebody with its front end projecting from the body and carrying a propeller, and a portion of the shaft opposite the opening in the body being bent to form an armmov'ingthrough the opening in the body asthe shaft rotates an'dLintermittently engagin under the frontend of said strip to vibrate the .strip vertically and cause its depending portion to have noiseproducing con tact with the drum. 7'

2. 'Atoytcoinprising abodysimulatingthe fuse? lage of an airplane and-formed with an opening, bearings-at front and rear ends of said opening,

, a drum. projectin-glaterally from said bodyalong the lower portioniof, thenpening, a resilient strip extending I longitudinally of the thereof and secured at its rear;

body at aside end and haying its .forward portion opposite the openinggpro 

